• Python and Typhon may be the same.
• Child of Gaia that was produced out of the Deucalionian (near Delphi) slime produced after a major flood. Also said to be the son of Tartarus, god of the underworld.
• Lived in a cave and guarded the Oracle at Delphi.
• Pytho, the old name of Delphi, was in honor of this serpent.
• Female
• Dionysos is the snake form
• Hero was Teirasias before it was Apollo - derived from the Canaanite. A third version came from Delphi.

In the 2nd millenium BC, the dragon wasn't named Python yet, nor was the champion's name Apollo. "The dragon was allied with or favored by his father, a local counterpart of El, who was later identified with Zeus or Poseidon .... The dragoness seems superficially ignored, as in the Baal poems. But she was present as wife of either father or son: she is alter called Ge." (Source: Python pg 390.)

"It is likely, therefore, that the Delphic Pyrrhos represents the pre-Apolline deity who fought the dragon of death and chaos, but was ousted by Apollo from his prominent position....The supersession of his cult by Apollo was reflected in myth as hostility between Apollo and Pyrrhos, so that Pyrrhos became confused with the old enemy Python - Dionysos." (Source: Python pg 400.)

To celebrate Apollo's victory, musical performances and contests were held with the flute and occasionally accompanied by other instruments. Each has 5 sections:

• As told by Pollux:
• 1 - Peira - Apollo finds the site
• 2 - Katakeleusmos - Apollo challenges the dragon
• 3 - Iambikon - the fight
• 4 - Spondeion - the god wins
• 5 - katachoreusis - Apollo's celebration dance
• As told by Pindar in Pythians:
• 1 - Peira - Apollo's first fight
• 2 - Iambos - "abusive language"
• 3 - no information
• 4 - no information
• 5 - syrigma - snake's hissing is heard
• As told by Strabo as told by Timosthenes:
• 1 - ankrusis - "a poem"
• 2 - ampeira - first battle
• 3 - katakeleusmos - the main fight
• 4 - iambos / daktylos - victory
• 5 - syringes - dragon's death

Killed by Apollo when he came down from Mt. Olympus to help the villagers. He killed it with a single arrow, then claimed the oracle as his own. After the battle, Apollo added Pythian to his name.

Hera sent Python to destroy Leto since they were rivals for Zeus. But Poseidon hid Leto and when Python went home he was killed by the waiting Apollo at the Gorge or Parnassus. Where the corpse rotted became the oracle of Delphi and Apollo started the Pythian Games to honor his victory.

"The champions' father, the king of gods, favors the dragon, who seems to be the champions' brother. when the champion kills the dragon, the father in anger kills him in turn; that is, he send him off to the death realm, whence finally the champion returns in victory, either to overthrow his father or to force him into the background" (Source: Python, pg 386.)

"Of the Greek varient Deukalion became the hero ... probably because he was already known as victor over the great chaos dragon, support for this conclusion comes from Diodoros, who says that Dionysos perished in Deukalion's flood, but that after the flood rains he rose from death." (Source: Python pg 420.)

• Killed by an arrow down the throat
• Taken into Apollo's service and becomes the serpent at Delphi.
• Apollo kills him on Mt. Parnassus; that is where the nymph Telphusa told Zeus and Leto to build the sanctuary because she didn't want it in her area.
• Apollo also fled after killing Python - to purify himself after shedding blood.

• Dephyne
• Epirotes
• Typhon